I try not to do this but anyone ever get the feeling some critiques you get are from those who want to show you how much they know.....Sometimes it is hard to see the forrest for the trees around here. Then again maybe it is just me.

We all have different styles and it's like we want everyone else's style to be like ours. It's difficult to critique with an open mind, finding something you like in a picture that was shot or processed in a style very different from your own.

But I don't know, except for a couple people, or maybe just one, I really don't get the sense that people critique to show how much they know.

I don't really see that (but maybe you think that I'm one of these people, despite my not knowing much). I would actually prefer if people tried to show how much they know, rather than just a bunch of "nice shot" replies.

I think this is one of the most civil photography forums out there. The critiques I've received are fair and I've never felt like anyone was belittling my images just because they want me to know how much they know.

I have had a few responses that I'm like...stop looking at the technical and just feel the image. But they are few and far between.

Michaelparris wrote:
I try not to do this but anyone ever get the feeling some critiques you get are from those who want to show you how much they know.....maybe it is just me.

Just a thought...

Nope, not just you. It doesn't happen as much in the People forum, but it sure happens on FM. The problem is that often it's not what they actually know from experience, it's what they've read somewhere like Wikipedia or the Canon web site or in some out of date photo book. As they say in Texas, "All Hat, No Cattle".

dmacmillan wrote:
Nope, not just you. It doesn't happen as much in the People forum, but it sure happens on FM. The problem is that often it's not what they actually know from experience, it's what they've read somewhere like Wikipedia or the Canon web site or in some out of date photo book. As they say in Texas, "All Hat, No Cattle".

Phrased that way, I do see that in other parts of FM but more often about gear (50L focus shift, sigma AF issues, etc.)

qwyjibo wrote:
Phrased that way, I do see that in other parts of FM but more often about gear (50L focus shift, sigma AF issues, etc.)
On a related note, I've seen people ask others who own the same lens or camera about specific issues, only to have someone who doesn't even own the lens or camera blather on regurgitating something they read somewhere.

You know, if a guy asks fellow owners of a piece of gear about their experiences with that gear and you don't even own it, then why not STFU?

^ exactly. It's a great power of the internet to be able to take singular anecdotes and easily compile large numbers of one offs to the point that you feel comfortable calling them data. However, you need a good bullshit meter to make it useful.

unknown_photog wrote:
I think this is one of the most civil photography forums out there. The critiques I've received are fair and I've never felt like anyone was belittling my images just because they want me to know how much they know.

I have had a few responses that I'm like...stop looking at the technical and just feel the image. But they are few and far between.

Andy
Well said....that's kind of what I'm talking about. I looked at a post this morning a stunning portrait someone complained about a small, unnoticeable shadow under the nose..

I haven't experienced that, probably because my work inst to a level that would make someone feel they need to even bother trying to school me on what they know.

There are however definitely little "clicks" and "fanboys" that engage in ego stroking of one another AND total avoidance of others.

Ive seen what I consider to be average work with 20+ replies while other really clean, creative stuff goes by unnoticed.

As bad as the OP's topic may sound, its still soft serve ice cream compared to some of the attitudes in the Canon Forum lol. I thought high school had a lot of drama. Then I came to corporate America. I thought corporate America had alot of drama. Then I came to FM....

Michaelparris wrote:
I try not to do this but anyone ever get the feeling some critiques you get are from those who want to show you how much they know.....Sometimes it is hard to see the forrest for the trees around here. Then again maybe it is just me.

Just a thought...

Any criticism is OK, but that doesn't mean you should apply them blindly to your work. I think for any artist who wants to improve, he/she should seek out an established photographer in the local community. Ask to take them out for a coffee and have them review some of your work in person.

Nowadays the only type of feedback that is worth my time for consideration are the ones that touches the areas of technicality and creativity/originality, while forcing me to think critically about how I could have improve on the image I shared. I mean let's face it, we as photographers are on this neverending journey to improve our craft and creative vision.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a lot of people offering a critique that don't have any substance. For instance, "I don't like how the hair looks in this photo." (OK, tell us why the hair doesn't fit with the overall image and how it could have been improved, but do consider the circumstances that the photographer was in. i.e. wedding event, etc.).

I know this is going to offend people, but I've been visiting this forum from time to time which began several years ago and I see some of the regulars posting the same stuff over and over again without any noticeable improvement. That to me is very boring and makes me wonder the kind of critique offered hurting their development.

^^fair enough, but I really do consider FM (and especially the people forum) one of the best places online to go for reasonable and knowledgeable crit. It aint perfect, but the talent level here and the contructiveness of critiques are head and shoulders above what Ive found elewhere.

please forgive the ipad spelling!

edit to add I agree with you that it is great to have the tutelage of a knowledgeable, local photographer. however, there are a few people here whose crit I consider to be comparable to a local photographer and whose pms etc have helped me greatly

Overall I find the comments and critique on the people forum to be fair and honest. There are some members who spend a lot of time and effort replying to threads and others (like myself) who rarely offer comments on other people's threads but post their own pictures expecting/hoping for comments. I personally don't behave this way to be selfish, I just don't feel that comfortable picking holes in something I don't truly understand.

I do feel my own photography has improved since I started posting on here. Here is the first image i posted on this forum (back in 2008)

I usually don't like getting critiqued online b/c you normally don't know how qualified the person giving you feedback is. Online, you can deal with some keyboard warriors... there's actually a lot of them unfortunately.

I've gotten my work critiqued a lot. It depends what you're trying to do... but it helps greatly getting feedback from qualified non-photographers. Like photo editors and art buyers. You ask 10 different people for feedback you're going to get 10 different answers.

Getting feedback in person and from a respectable source is always best IMO. If online is the only place you can get it, then it's better then nothing I guess.

If you can join a local professional organization and if they hold print comps, that's a great way. Here's a video that explains the benefits of entering print comp for a photographer: